VIRGINIA: Mike Cordero Introduces His Own Private Wine Label to 6 NOVA Restaurants

Photo: ArlingtonMagazine

On February 1, Mike Cordero launched Cordero Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir with a kick off tasting party at Barley Mac and newly printed menus at all six of his Northern Virginia restaurants.
Cordero acquired a taste for fine food and wine pairings over his lifetime in the restaurant business.

Photo: Localkick

He created his label, Cordero Wines, to tastefully complement his original recipes and flavors. Cordero suggests different appetizers and entrees for each varietal. The tasting notes (below) and new menu cards can help guests choose their wine and entrees wisely.

Cordero partnered with Darcie Kent Vineyards in Livermore, CA to produce and bottle his wines. Each of the varietals will be available at all of his restaurants. Prices range between $8-$10 per glass to $39-$42 per bottle. 

Photo: DC.Eater.com

2013 Cordero Chardonnay:

Tasting Notes: This Chardonnay has citrus-pineapple, leachy fruit, aromas and nice floral notes; bright acidity makes it lively and expressive. It also has a great balance of sugar, acid and alcohol.

Food Pairing Suggestions: This Chardonnay would pair nicely with steamed salmon, clams or mussel and added butter garlic sauce. Best paired when this wine is also used in the cooking process especially for the Mussels. It is very enjoyable when paired with hard cheeses and bread.

Production Notes: The majority of this chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel vats; we ferment a small percentage of this chardonnay in neutral oak for six months before blending at the time of bottling. The barrels give it a very approachable oak finish.

Alcohol: 14.1% Acidity: 7.9g/L


2014 Cordero Pinot Noir:

Tasting Notes: Lively Raspberry-cranberry fruit with a sweet rhubarb hint of white pepper. This is a very finely structured Pinot Noir; reflecting classic Burgundian traits with great balance of fruit structure acidity.

Food Pairing Suggestions: This Pinot would pair great with roasted duck and cranberry or rhubarb Sauce with sautéed wild mushroom and/or crushed salted potatoes.

Production Notes: Hand-harvested ripe fruit, refrigerated transport to our facility, gentle meticulous fruit handling simple gentle processing. Open top cool fermentation with a long cold-soak period, gently pressed and aged in the finest classic Burgundian Barrels. Our approach is hands off minimal gentle processing for pinot to have best structure of this delicate beauty of Wine

Alcohol: 14.5% Acid 6.4g/L


2013 Cordero Merlot:

Tasting Notes: Ripe cherry blueberry current aromas and flavors. This wine has a fruit forward and firm round tannin structure with pleasant cassis nutmeg tone and long fruit finish

Food Pairing Suggestions: Would pair well with roasted poultry or duck also would go well with roasted swan or duck liver or appetizers with pate.

Production Notes: Our grapes are harvested in the middle of the night and then transported before sunrise from our neighbors in Livermore. At dawn, the fruit is crushed and sorted on a sorting table. After fermenting in an open top for twelve days with continuous punch-downs for tannin extraction, the merlot then ages for 14 months in new and neutral French oak barrels.

Alcohol: 14.1% Acid: 6.6g/L

Chef Mike Cordero is the executive chef and owner of A-Town, Barley Mac, Bronx Pizza, Don Tito, Don Taco and Primetime Sports Bar